Do you know where your team's offensive upgrade is? Perhaps in the services of one of the following:

Cody Ross, Red Sox

Third baseman Kevin Youkilis is considered the most expendable of the Red Sox because rookie Will Middlebrooks has all but taken over his position. Since arriving May 2, Middlebrooks is hitting .300, slugging .508 and leads the Red Sox in RBIs.

But unless opposing teams are shopping for overpaid, over-the-hill grouches, Ross makes a lot more sense. First, he is way less expensive. Ross is on a one-year, $3 million deal; Youkilis is making $12 million in the final year of a contract that includes a $1 million buyout.

More important, Ross, 31, has become a superior player. Youkilis is hitting .219 with four homers, Ross is at .271 with eight homers in the same number of games (37). Ross has been out with a broken foot since last month but is about a week away from returning. The Red Sox need Ross more this month than in the second half when Jacoby Ellsbury and—yes—Carl Crawford are expected to return.

Justin Morneau, Twins

His value isn't what it once was but it's creeping upward. Morneau already has hit 10 homers as he battles back from nearly two years of concussion symptoms and four surgeries in the past year. He makes a bundle—$13 million this year and $14 million in 2013, the last year of a five-year deal—but he makes an intriguing possibility for a team needing power at first base. There are at least three with resources, the Rangers, Dodgers and Blue Jays.

Trading Morneau would open first base for Joe Mauer, but that's not why the Twins should move the 31-year-old Canadian. Mauer is far more valuable as a .305-hitting catcher than a first baseman without much power. With power having become such a premium these days, moving Morneau likely would net the rebuilding Twins at least one decent prospect.

Alfonso Soriano, Cubs

Including 2012, Soriano still has three years at $14 million per left on the contract that will never end. So the Cubs would have to swallow millions to trade him. But look at it this way: If the Cubs eat $15 million, Soriano would become about a $10 million a year player for another team.

He's worth that if he can hit like he has since the end of April: 12 homers, .299/.365/.642. The Cubs, meanwhile, would save about $20 million. There's certainly give-and-take on the money, depending on what kind of player(s) the Cubs would take in return.

Bryan LaHair is often mentioned as trade bait, too, mainly because of uncertainty regarding his ability to move from first to the outfield. But the going-nowhere-this-year Cubs would have little to lose by giving LaHair a chance in left field after they call up hotshot prospect Anthony Rizzo. LaHair is making the minimum, is under club control for five more years and hasn't proved enough to bring the Cubs more than Soriano would in a trade.

Shane Victorino, Phillies

Owner Dave Montgomery told Foxsports.com that he isn't thinking about selling any high-priced players with 100 games to go. The Phillies, working on a 251-game sellout streak, have their fans to consider.

On the flip side, the earlier you sell, the more you yield in return, and Phillies fans aren't dumb. If the club still resides in last place and is under .500 in July, the end of the team's five-year reign in the N.L. East will be in sight.

If the Phillies become sellers, then Victorino, 31, would make a nice chip. He's a proven big-market performer and a Gold Glove outfielder. But he's also in the last year of his contract and would be a rental player, which means teams might not want to give up much of a prospect. But it happens. The Giants sent the Mets top pitching prospect Zack Wheeler for two months of Carlos Beltran last year, and Victorino is a comparable player. He would bring a lot to a contender such as the Reds or Indians.

Carlos Quentin, Padres

It makes sense for general manager Josh Byrnes to say he's not looking to trade Quentin. If the GM said otherwise, the price would figure to fall for arguably the best available power hitter. After missing two months because of knee surgery, the oft-injured Quentin has come out bashing. He has five homers and a .432 batting average after 11 games.

No matter who ends up owning the Padres, Quentin, 29, is more valuable to the team as a trade chip than a short-term cleanup hitter. And the odds that he is a short-termer are better than Byrnes would like to admit. Quentin can become a free agent after the season, and even if the low-budget Padres were to pony up a big offer, Quentin might prefer playing for a contender.

Three more who're marketable:

• Astros 1B/LF Carlos Lee finally is in the last year of his $100 million deal and has the kind of power lacking on a number of contenders.

• With Wil Myers coming, Royals RF Jeff Francoeur could find himself out of a starting job by the trade deadline. He is a top defender and has improved his hitting in the past two years but no longer is an inexpensive option after scoring a two-year, $13.5 million deal before the season. It would be interesting to see how his free-swinging ways played on the Yankees, who have to be wondering if Brett Gardner (elbow) will return this season.

• With six homers in 89 at-bats since being dumped by the Tigers, A's 3B Brandon Inge has proved there's still some thump in his bat. He would not bring much in return, but the A's aren't going anywhere with or without him so why not send him to a contender?